


An Ember at Midnight

by Peanutpup



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: DONT READ PLEASE OR ASSOCIATE WITH ME, F/M, Gen, old fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-04-12 01:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19121566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peanutpup/pseuds/Peanutpup
Summary: The smell of smoke would accumulate around young Max. His nose scrunched up at the distasteful scent. Out of slight curiosity, the child peeked open his emerald eyes. A faint cloud of smoke would obstruct Max's vision. He took in a sharp breath, only causing him to cough due to inhaling an abundance of smoke.Max shot up from bed, peering around. Confusion and slight annoyance pulsed through him. Who the hell would start a fire this late at night? His gaze met with his tent-mate's cot. Empty. That was peculiar. The young boy would hop out of bed, leaving his yellow tee-shirt on. He just wanted to see what the hell was going on. When he exited his tent, Max couldn't fucking believe what he saw.-----Max, a young 10 year old boy, is staying at a shitty summer camp up north. The smell of sap has always annoyed him. Though, one night, that regular old forest scent is replaced by a musky smoke odor. In confusion, Max investigates, only to find something devastating.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a nightmare.

  It was the dead of midnight at Camp Campbell. Owls hooting at each other, wind battering the trees, birds flocking to get food, squirrels sleeping in the hollows of trees. It was a quiet, peaceful night at camp. Though, unfortunately, that peacefulness wasn't going to last for long.

  A lanky, thin figure would emerge from the shadows near the Mess Hall. The figure had icy blue eyes and blonde, slicked back hair with a white polo shirt, white jeans, a pair of white and clean boots and a grey watch. The figure in question was named Daniel. Daniel was a cult leader whom in reality tricked people into trusting them then sacrificing them for his beliefs. Although his quick wits and natural singing ability, Daniel was unable to rid of Camp Campbell.  
  
  Why, you may ask? It's all because of a certain someone and their 'smarts' of some sort. This someone was named Max. Known as the cynical rebel, Max was easy to point up Daniel's plans and implications, even referring to him as a 'crazy cultist.' He was bad mannered and ill tempered, seeming to get angered at everything that happened at Camp Campbell or just life in general. Daniel was almost to rid of him the night of the bunker, but ultimately failed do to being attacked by his rival and look-alike, David.  
  
  David was strange in the eyes of Daniel. His bubbly but apologetic personality sort of made Daniel uncomfortable. Though, David seemed self-less when it came to Camp Campbell and it's campers, throwing himself at him to save Max. He was also naive as hell. What he lacked in brains, however, he made up with his natural ability to sing and play guitar, opposed of Daniel with his fiddle.

  Daniel pulled an object out of his back pocket, a match box. He slid it open and took 4 matches out one by one. Closing the box, he struck all four matches together on the match striker. A large orange flicker of flame illuminated the darkness of midnight. Daniel took in a sharp inhale as he threw the matches at the Mess Hall. He exhaled in relief as the building started to set aflame, spreading quickly.   
  
  Obviously satisfied with his work, Daniel turned quickly on his heels, returning to the shadows. A shit eating grin was plastered on the young man's face.


	2. Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max wakes up to a sudden abundance of smoke and a missing tent-mate.  
> David wakes up to a anxious CBFL.

  The smell of smoke would accumulate around young Max. His nose scrunched up at the distasteful scent. Out of slight curiosity, the child peeked open his emerald eyes. A faint cloud of smoke would obstruct Max's vision. He took in a sharp breath, only causing him to cough due to inhaling an abundance of smoke.

  
  Max shot up from bed, peering around. Confusion and slight annoyance pulsed through him. Who the hell would start a fire this late at night? The smoke was very dense and made his eyes tear up. Irritated, Max rubbed his emerald eyes until they started to burn. Hissing, Max opened his wet and red puffy eyes to search around his smoked up tent. His eyes locked at an empty cot. Neil was suppose to be there, though there was only a blanket.  
  
  That was pretty fucking weird to Max. Neil never stayed or woke up this late unless he was preoccupied. Frowning, Max rose from his cot, not bothering with putting on his hoodie or shoes. He zipped open the tent, only making more smoke choke him. The child coughed, his chest throbbing. This wasn't an ordinary fire. This was way fucking worse than the 'Sparrow of the Order' bonfire or whatever the hell it was called. His reluctantly scanned the ash covered camp ground to find a bright light. He blinked the tears out of his eyes.  
  
 "No. Fucking. Way." Max held his breath. The camp was set on fire, at least that is what he came up with at first. Thoughts were rushing through the boy. How the fuck did this happen? Where is Neil? Are his friends okay? What if they forgot about him?  
  
  Frustration filled him. They probably did fucking forget him. all he does is whine and complain. Who would want to bring him along. Might as well just leave him to fucking burn. Tears, not caused by the smoke, weld up in the boy's eyes. He wanted to disappear. He was so desperate, he thought that these people cared about him even just one bit. Putting his hands in his jean pockets, Max went over to investigate the fire.

* * *

  David woke up suddenly to a sharp prod on his shoulder. He blinked open his eyes, groggy. A familiar face startled him a bit. Gwen. Gwen was up, and her face was filled with fear and anxiety. It looked like she had been crying, as her eyes were red and puffy.   
  
   "Gwen? Wh.. What time is it? Why are you up?" David rasped, re-positioning his body to be more upright. Gwen gave him a hard stare.

   "The fucking camp is on fire David! I- I don't know what to do! This.. This has never happened before! What do I do, David?" Gwen yelped, shaking the red-headed man by his shoulders. David blinked in confusion, not registering what Gwen said about the camp being aflame. It suddenly hit the man like a bus. His eyes widened.

   "On fire? The camp? This camp?" David breathed out, his face slightly twitching as he thought. "You.. Are you joking, Gwen?" The camp councilor whispered in a small tone. AT this question, Gwen seemed pissed as fuck. The grip on David's shoulder's strengthened, making the man wince in slight pain.  
  
   "Wh- Why the fuck would I wake you up in the middle of the _DAMN_ night to joke about the camp being set aflame, David? I'm _not_ a fucking sociopath!" Gwen yelled at him. David's eyes were jolting around. How did this happen? Did one of the campers do this? A criminal? Was it an accident? SO many questions rose in David's head. His mouth was sealed shut as Gwen's hands removed themselves off of his shoulders. She groaned in frustration.  

   "Of fucking course you don't help-. No one ever fucking does." She murmured, wiping tears from her eyes. David blinked again, seemingly returning back from his train of thought. He frowned. His eyebrows were scrunched together. 

   "Gwen. Breathe. Have you taken your anti-anxiety medication?" David spoke more clear, his voice bold. Gwen nodded, looking at her co-councilor. David thought once more. A camp.. A camp needs..

   "Campers! The campers! Gwen-" David's confidence wore away in just a split second. The room was thick in smoke and anxiety. "The campers! They're going to die if we don't get them out of here. Come on!" The red-head would take his friend's hand and run over to the door. She yelped in sudden alarm. Tonight was going to be a long ass night.


	3. Forgot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max bumps into someone who he thought left him for dead.

  The ground and trees were charred black. Confusion and anger still pulsed through young Max as he stepped in the accumulating bits of ash. The forest was burning down and he was probably the only person on the property left. He winced as a burning sensation pricked at his feet. He glanced down. He forgot he didn't bring his shoes out with him.  
  
  "Fuck!" He hissed, becoming more and more un-hopeful. He wanted to give up. The forest was probably almost gone by now, what was the point? Though, curiosity was the only thing moving him forward. Tiredness pricked at his eyes. His tent was probably already gone. A question popped up in his head. Where the fuck was Mr. Honeynuts? He reached for the pockets of his hoodie to only remember grimly that he forgot that, too. More tears weld up in the boy's eyes. The only thing that showed he was cared about was now gone. He glanced behind him.   
  
    _'Fuck it. I'm going back,'_ Max thought, his face scrunching up. He'd bolt back the way he came from, wincing as he walked along on twigs and patches of hot ash and fire. His body ached. When he arrived back to the clearing, he found that someone was in front of his tent. A familiar face. His hair was upright and poofy. Neil. His eyes met with Max's, showing signs of obvious relief.   
  
   "Holy shit, Max! I thought you died!" Neil yelped, as Max came closer to his tent. Max frowned, shrugging.

   "And I thought you left me behind to die. We all have our shitty thoughts right now, Neil. Lets get our shit and get out of here." Max grumbled, stepping in the unzipped tent. He put on his hoodie, despite the heat of the flames. He put his hands in his pockets to find something fluffy. He gave out a relieved smirk, knowing it was his bear. Max put on his shoes as well. It kind of hurt. Neil rushed into the tent with Max and gave a distasteful snort.   
  
   "Max, that's not really a good idea. We _can't_ just leave everyone behind! We need to get them up!" Neil exclaimed, doing the raptor thing with his hands.  Max rose a brow, shrugged, and shoulder checked Neil on his way out of the tent. The orange haired boy winced at Max's attitude. He seemed agitated about something. Rubbing his shoulder, Neil followed Max.

   The two boys went to the other tents and woke up everyone. The campers seemed very surprised as emotional about the camp being burned to a crisp, but max could give less of a shit about what the others thought. He was frustrated that he was stupid enough to not check the other tents and just think that everyone abandoned him. Neil was probably just telling the councilors about the situation, and Max just _HAPPENED_ to get up while he was gone. Great _fucking_ timing indeed.

   The boy clenched his smoke-filled chest. Breathing was getting hard for him. Max felt as if he wanted to pass out right then and there. Why couldn't this happen at morning at least? The boy clambered down to the nearest tree. It was black and charred from the fire, though Max still sat and slid down it, staining his clothing a darker shade in the process. He felt a person touching his shoulder. Max gave out a silent shutter and gazed up at the offender. Nikki. Her hair was wild and her eyes were red and puffy. Looks like the smoke got to her. Neil was following behind her.

   "Hey, Max. You okay there?" Nikki asked, removing her hand and sitting next to him. Max gave off a silent nod, his throat burning from inhaling the smoke. He started to cough, which made Nikki wince. "Nah, you ain't okay Max. Don't tell me otherwise. I heard Neil told David and Gwen, maybe they can help you!" 

   "Fuck that noise." Max rasped, his throat recovering from the sudden spurt of coughing. Dying from an asthma attack would be better than getting help from David of all people. His eyes felt heavy with tiredness. Giving out a large yawn, Max started to close his eyes. 


	4. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Gwen find the campers are alright, but one camper in particular makes them fear for his health.

   The clearing by the tents was foggy with smoke. The area seemed washed over with anxiety and trauma. David didn't really enjoy that feeling, though in reality, he was feeling just as similar. Camp Campbell was doing well after the whole Camp CORP situation. Cameron was using his vacation days to go somewhere he didn't mention to David. It was strange. His former boss and father figure just happens to leave a few days before this whole incident. The thought was brushed back to the back of David's mind. His first priority was getting these kids out of this situation and to somewhere safe.

   He noticed that Gwen wasn't beside him no longer, but was by some campers. He'd squint to see who those campers were. He managed to make out all the faces, though getting ash in his eyes in the process. It was Nurf, Space-kid and Ered. David sighed in relief as he at least knew that some of his campers were not injured. With that thought, four more campers thought his attention. Preston, Dolph, Harrison and Nerris would talk among themselves in a sort of huddle. Harrison's gaze would meet with David's, making the boy gasp a little. He seemed to murmur something to his fellow campers which made them perk their heads up in surprise and subtle relief.

   The campers rushed over to David in a rush, their eyes glassy from, what the red-head thought, was both smoke irritation and emotion. Dolph coughed as Preston patted him on the back. David winced. He needed to get them to a hospital at least. They had the money, right? 

   "We saw Max, Nikki and Neil by a tree," Harrison spoke, his Israeli accent noticeable in his worried tone. "-and I don't think Max is doing all that well. At least that's what Nikki said."

   David's eyes widened. That was worrying for sure. He ushered the kids to go with Gwen. They obliged, not even having the strength to even retaliate. The red-head scanned the surrounding area, having trouble due to the obscurity of the smoke. He spotted three lumps near a blackened tree. The man gave a out a good guess in his mind that those were the trio. 

   David rushed over to the tree, and saw that Neil and Nikki were trying to wake up a, presumably, passed out Max. The man's blood ran cold. Was he dying? Neil rose his head to meet with David's scared gaze. 

   "He's just sleeping, but his breathing is off by a long shot. Probably by the smoke. We need to get an ambulance, David." The orange haired child spoke firmly, though not without his fair share of worry in his tone. David nodded, crouching by Max. He rose his shaky hand to meet with Max's forehead. It was hot as heck. David tapped the boy's cheek lightly, which made him scrunch up his face. 

   "Max? Max, wake up." David spoke, his tone small. Max blinked open his eyes, then groaned. He weakly slapped David's hand away. He was confused. Why was he here again? Why did his chest ache?

   "The fuck is going on?" Max spat, his throat hurting. "Fuck." He rasped, his chest burning more than before. David quickly heaved the child into his arms and sat up. Max squirmed, complaining, but not able to do much due to his lack of strength.

   "Let me go-." His complaint was cut off by a spurt of coughing, which only irritated his chest more. David winced. This is not how he wanted his camper to go out. His faced the child's friends. He beckoned them with an eye movement to say 'follow me'. Nikki and Neil obliged willingly. The four Campbell camper residents quickly made their way back to Gwen and the other campers. Gwen seemed to notice Max first.

   "Holy shit! What the fuck happened?" She exclaimed, rushing over to the four new arrivals. The other campers followed close behind, some of them even coughing and slightly gasping. Max rolled his eyes, taking a phone from his pocket. David's phone. 

   "Call the police, now." The child rasped, his voice seemingly being lost. Gwen ripped the phone from his hands and started dialing the number. "Jesus." Max groaned. "Fucking head hurts." Max put a hand up to his forehead, clenching it.

   "I know, Max. Soon this will be over with." David attempted to sooth. "Shut the fuck up." Max simply replied, voice cracking a bit. David sighed, looking at Gwen, who was now talking on the phone. 

   "Yeah... Mhm.. No- I think only one camper is suffering from that. Yeah.. I guess you could say that." Gwen paused before each sentence, listening at the operator.

   Max started coughing a bunch, which made David start to feel anxiety build up in his chest. He patted his back, as well as rubbing circles into it. David didn't really know how to sooth a coughing child, as something like this never really happened before. The closest being the Order of the Sparrows bonfire that blew up after Max telling him he ignited the fire with the help of gasoline. This was an painstakingly awful night. Not only for him, but for Gwen and the campers. Especially Max.


	5. Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max falls into a coma after failure of getting to a doctor in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !TW!  
> !Mentions of Abuse!  
> !TW!

   Max was cradled in David's arms like a fucking baby after they arrived at the entrance of the camp. It was weird. He wasn't 2 anymore, though, he wish he was. Being younger and more naive was way better than being a self aware fucking edge lord, or whatever his school-mates called him. Those pricks always had something to say. Thank god they aren't with him now. Max's eyelids were droopy and so heavy. He felt as if he wanted to sleep again, but David just kept prodding him awake. That was fucking irritating for sure.

   He kept saying something about ambulances and fires, but Max could barely hear, not even remember. Where the fuck were they again? The boy's gaze rose up to David's head. He wasn't watching him, but was watching the road. This is a perfect time to get rest without being shoved awake by the red-headed councilor. Closing his eyes, Max started to drift off into a, somewhat, peaceful slumber

* * *

 

   David was keeping a firm gaze of the road, hugging young Max close to his chest. Gwen was still on the phone, pestering the operator on why the police wren't there yet. The operator firmly told them to keep Max awake, as he could be CO poisoned. The operator was rather vague with that information, but David, with a little help from Neil, knew what would happen. It all pinned down to a prolonged coma Max would probably die in. The thought of Max dying made David's heart ache. The kid already had a bad life to begin with.

   With information he put together, David had a good assumption Max was either physically abused, mentally abused or both. He also revealed the night of Parent's Day that he was constantly neglected by his parents, being sent away from his home to the cheapest camp in the Lake Lilac region to just get him out of the house. David always thought Max was joking about how he was just sent to Camp to not pester his parents 24/7. If only he knew, maybe he could've helped him.

  David's gaze traveled to the campers on the ground. They seemed less pale now that they were upwind from the fire. None of them showed signs of CO poisoning, thankfully, but they still needed to be transported to a hospital just in case. Max's friends, Nikki and Neil, were in their own little huddle closer to David. They seemed worried. Neil knew all about CO poisoning from lessons from his father's friends and reading up on text books. David liked that he had a kid who knew a lot about science. Neil was a nice kid.

   Nikki on the other hand was a bit strange. David still had a mark on his hand where she bit him the first day she and Neil arrived at Camp Campbell. Though, she seemed to raise the spirits of other campers, cracking jokes and doing silly shenanigans. Her weirdness made her, Neil and Max best friends. The perfect trio. David wouldn't be surprised if they thought of each other as siblings.

   A thought popped in David's head. What about the parents. He knew that Ered's parents were FBI agents. What if they were sued? What if the camp was shut down because of a inability to keep the camp safe. The campers weren't dead. They were somewhat safe, with an ambulance coming soon to get them to somewhere less hazardous. One camper filled his thoughts again. Max.

  David shot his gaze down, eyes widening. The boy was asleep. He was sleeping..

   "Max, kiddo? Wake up. You can't sleep yet." David nervously spoke, voice cracking. No response. Not even a face twitch or a slight stir. David shook him slightly with his arms. Still, no response. David's heart dropped. 

   "Gwen." David struggled to speak, voice even more broken and cracked. The woman looked at him from the phone, eyes narrowed. 

   "Yes, David? Is something wrong?" She asked, blinking slowly. Gwen seemed worn and tired, the bags under her eyes darker than what they were when David woke up to her frantic panics.

   "Max.. He.. I.. He's not waking up. Gwen-" David stuttered, his vision starting to blur from an expected wave of ears dripping from his face. Gwen's eyes widened in shock. She rushed over to David, looking at the boy in his arms. He was breathing shallowly from the smoke, but his face was pale. Neil seemingly didn't notice the whole ordeal from his hushed conversation with Nikki.  

   "Holy shit!" Gwen yelped, her eyes flickering from the phone to Max, but mostly staying on Max. Sirens would be heard in the distance. David felt shattered. Max was probably going to die and it's all his fault. He brought the coma induced boy into a hug, pressing him closer to his chest. Tears rolled down the man's face. Poor poor Max.


	6. So Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and the other campers get transported to the hospital  
> -  
> David falls into a remorseful desolation.

   Blue and red lights flooded the pine forest. Sleepy Peak EMS paramedics looked over the children who were then placed on cots, though someone seemed missing.. Nikki would sit on a stretcher with Neil while paramedics checked them over and applied 'Silvadene', or whatever it was called on their burns. Neil's hand was all blistered and red, but was now dressed and had a thin grey-ish film over it. Nikki was fine, though, just a few bruises and cuts when the campers and councilors had to walk to the entrance of the camp.

  Out of the corner of her eye, the teal haired girl noticed something. David, the usually irritatingly happy councilor, was seemingly crying and mourning while cradling something. Though, Nikki couldn't really see what he was holding due to the foggy smoke. Squinting, she was able to catch a familiar blue coated friend, laying pale and limp in the red-head's arms. She couldn't believe what she saw. Nudging Neil, Nikki pointed to the scene. The orange haired boy would also widen his eyes in shock.

   "I told David not to let him fall a-sleep! How the fuck did that happen?" Neil broke into a frantic yelp, his gaze shooting to the limp boy in David's arms back to Nikki, who was also worried and and at a loss of words. The girl shrugged, a slight shutter running over her body. Nikki noticed two people, likely another pair of paramedics taking Max from David's arms. David yelped, trying to run after the people as they loaded Max onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. His arm was pulled back by Gwen, his co-councilor and friend. Gwen, after hearing David's seemingly watery protest, pulled him into a hug.

   Nikki frowned as the stretcher she and Neil were on was loaded into another ambulance. This was an awful night.

* * *

 

   After 15 minutes of arriving, the EMS ambulances drove off to the hospital. David was left with despair and desolation. His whole world-view was flipped right over. The camper he held dearly to his heart, and hell, even though of as his own son, was just tore away from him because some stupid accident. This was all his fault, if only he would've gotten there sooner. Maybe Max would've only suffered burns and not go into a coma.

   Gwen would sigh, placing a soft hand on David's shoulder. David flinched at the touch, but relaxed after looking down to see who it was. It was quiet. No birds chirping, no one talking. Just a light midnight breeze throwing up, if not already charred, leaves and other loose and light debris. 

  "You wanna go inside? I mean- I guess not in the counselor's cabin.. But maybe we can take the camp mobile somewhere?.. I understand this is hard for you, David, but maybe rest can clear your mind?" Gwen suggested, gaze traveling up to her friend's face, which just stared at the camp entrance. The red-head would stay silent for a few moments before resting his gaze on Gwen. He took a short breath before nodding.

  "Alright." He only said, making Gwen frown. Usually he said more than that when he needed a rest. 

   "Okay.. Come on, then. Maybe tomorrow Max will wake up?" Gwen attempted to cheer David up. The red-head sighed, but still gave off a small smile wiping his puffy and red eyes. That made Gwen smile as-well. She hoped Max would be fine. 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this story was silent for a bit, I was busy with work. I'll try and update more often!
> 
> Sorry, also, that this chapter was short and has some spelling and grammar errors. I'm writing this during my work break.


	7. Lucid Dreamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max 'wakes up' to a perfect camp and a cloudy memory.. Why is everyone so strange?.. Where am I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm. Well. It's been a bit- huh? I'm so sorry. Writer's block sucks the creativity out of you, eh? Well.. I'm back! I'm excited to play out my ideas!

A ray of sunshine bursted into the boy's view. What the..? Blinking open his eyes, the boy looked around. It looked.. different. His memory was foggy- but this place.. Where he woke up at.. just isn't clicking.  
A warmly lit cabin! It also had a bunk bed and air conditioning? These luxuries just didn't sit well with him. Yeah- they were nice.. But they just felt.. off. Giving a large yawn, the boy would exit the bed, taking a peak above to see if anyone was up there.  
  
In the bunk above him was a boy with orange hair, peering off his high ground down at the black haired boy. What was his name? N..Neil? He thought it was Neil, at least that's what his mind screamed at him.. Oh well.  
"Hello, Max, are you okay?" Neil asked, tilting his head to the side. The boy, said to be named Max, would huff, shrugging.  
  
"I'm alright.. I.. Er, Where are we? I'm sorry if that's a stupid question. I just cannot remember." Max chuckled nervously, gaze averting the curly haired boy on the bunk. He heard a slight chuckle, making his eyes snap up back to Neil.  
"Oh! Well, this place is Camp Campbell! One of the best camps in America! I'm Neil, by the way." He introduced himself, simultaneously explaining where they were. Max would nod, looking at the cabin's door. Maybe he should go explore..?

  
He'd open the door, closing it behind him. Eyes heavy from sleep, the black haired boy looked around. This place looked beautiful. No rancid smell, no dead animals.. It was.. clean. At least as clean as you could make a forest.. he noticed a few other cabins in a circle. He also noticed a girl with teal hair staring right at him with large and dull eyes.. Well, until she saw him.  
She ran over to Max, hugging him tightly and swinging him around. Max grunted, trying to pull himself away from her deathly grip.  
"Get the fuck off of me, I'm not a stress toy!" Max yelped, finally freeing himself from the girl. She kind of looked apologetic, but mostly happy.  
  
"Sorry, Max! I'm Nikki- if you forgot.. You've been asleep for a long long time.. We all thought you were going to die!" Nikki squeaked, face still screwed up into that smile.. Max would widen his eyes.. A coma? What she described was a coma..  
The boy looked slight petrified before he shaked his head and hardening his gaze.  
"How'd I fall into a coma.. Nikki?" He asked, gaze staring at her.. She just shrugged, seemingly thinking for a moment before smiling.  
  
"A fire. You almost died in a fire, Max." She said in a monotone voice, smile widening. Max's heart started rapidly beating. The mention of a fire made him flinch. It made his chest ache and hurt. He felt dizzy. Wh.. What?  
He noticed that something was on Nikki's face now. Her face was completely viewless. it looked as if it was.. whited out? It was really fucking creepy.. Breathing out, he backed up and started running.  
the mention of fire made the child want to run even faster. He didn't know why he was scared of it.. It just gave off memories he never had.. Well.. At least he thought he didn't have.

  
Max would notice his vision was now foggy as well as his mind. The world around him was no longer great and beautiful. It was dark- eerie. He heard beeps- that of a heart monitor. Why? Why could he hear these? Why was everything moving so fast? What was making him so dizzy? He just wanted this to stop! He wanted to be left alone. He knew this wasn't real.. He just wanted to go back to the real world. He knew he was dreaming, so why can't he wake up? He just wanted to go back to the real world so damn bad. Just wake up! Stupid brain- stupid fucking body.   
He took a sharp inhale of breath as he tripped over something. His vision faded to a black as he crashed into the ground.  
  


 

 

 

A jolt. He woke up. Shaking, the boy looked around. He couldn't remember the dream. He couldn't remember his name. He couldn't remember the names of the two people he met. Just heat. Just flames. Only flames. The Camp Campbell fire was burned deep into his mind. The heart monitor was beeping franticly beside him, making him cover his ears..  
Apparently, that also got the attention of the nurses outside, making at least 5 of them rush into the room. Though, the only thing that the boy cared about and had his mind consumed on was the fire. The crackling and pops of it rung in his ears as he was handled by the nurses and staff.


	8. Flipped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flipped world view. That's all David had. Did it have to start out like this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try and update this once every 2 days. Thanks for waiting!

David didn't sleep that night. He didn't want to.. The beds here at this hotel were also shitty- so what was the point..? He'd stare at Gwen's phone all night, sat on the bed. Max had David's phone still, so he had to use Gwen's. The man was just listening for a ring. Yeah- people called. But. They weren't the hospital. They weren't Max. It was just angry parents. The man understood. Everyone's parents called, angry. The only thing David could do is listen, saying 'mhm, nope, no ma'am.'   
It was uneventful. Though, two people who thought would call didn't. Max's parents. Fucking bastards. Their son is dying in the hospital. Forgetting him on Parent's Day- That was small compared to not even contacting him or the camp.  
Maybe they were mourning their son's death? Unlikely. Max said they didn't care. Why'd they care if their own blood relative was dead? Psh.

He noticed that a pair of eyes were staring directly at him. Gwen. He tore his gaze away from the phone and gave a frown. She returned it, though, with a look of concern in her eyes.  
"David.. Did you even sleep last night? Even when I told you to do so? You know that it's not health-." She was cut off from her rant when David just put the phone back on her side of the bed, massaging his temples and giving an exasperated sigh. He gave an annoyed look at Gwen, furrowing his eyebrows.   
"Let's not do this right now. Please." He pleaded half-heartedly, which made Gwen flinch.   
She just sighed, getting up from the bed.   
  
Gwen pointed with her thumb to the bathroom door, blinking slowly.  
"I'm going to go change. You can wait, okay? I'll be done in a moment." She murmured softly, stretching as she made her way to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. David said nothing, sighing. He shrunk down into the bed, feeling oddly comfortable despite the statement he made earlier about the mattress. He closed his eyes, smiling at the rest he was given.  
Well, until Gwen came back out of the bathroom. He blinked his eyes open, sighing. That was fast?.. Gwen just gave an unimpressed look at him, wearing denim shorts and a black shoulderless blouse. She nodded, pointing to the bathroom.

 

"Okay.. Why don't you get ready quick. I'll wait for you." She smiled a soft smile as David got up from the bed. He nodded at her, entering the bathroom.   
The night prior, they put clothing in the bathroom they wanted to wear the next day. It then clicked in his head as he closed the door that Gwen looked very fancy..? usually she didn't really dress up unless it was important- like a job interview or date. He winced when he thought of the date that Gwen had with that fish.. creature.. That was also Quartermaster's adoptive son. Speaking of Quartermaster.. Where was he? Shaking his head, he sighed. Back on point, David.  
"Gwen?.. Are we going anywhere today?" He called out to his friend from the bathroom.

"Yeah. Hospital. We're going to see the kids. Before you ask, nope. Max is off limits. Still in a coma from what we were last told last night.." She called back, stressing the last part of her call. David grimaced, great. Oh well.. Hopefully the other campers are alright.   
Since they were going in public, might as well pick something good.   
He looked at the clothing he lie out yesterday. A Camp Campbell turtleneck sweater..? Oh. Uer. Okay. He picked it up. He hasn't wore it in a while.. Though- he felt cold. Very cold. Maybe it was the right choice after-all.


	9. Who?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is a bit confused and tired. He doesn't know who and where he is.

 He just sat there on the soft hospital bed. It was quiet. He felt the sharp stare of two people piercing into his skin. He hasn't talked since he awoken. His gaze traveled back up to the people. One of them, a thin woman with blond hair, just sighed.  
"It's.. Surprising I guess. You just- woke up. Nothing warned us. We'd thought you'd die." She just huffed, seemingly talking to herself. The boy shrugged, looking around. Something caught his eye. Blinking, he noticed it was a nametag. The nametag of the blond woman. Mellina J. Herman. He breathed out, his eyes snapping back to her face.  
  
"M..rs.. Her-erman? Wher..e.- I?" He said shakily and softly, his eyes round and slightly scared. He missed a few words as well. The woman, known as Mrs. Herman thus forward, would flinch, not expecting the boy to speak. She hummed for a bit before clearing her throat.  
"See.. Max.. You're in the hospital. Don't worry! You're okay- to an extent." She explained, an awkward smile on her face. She tapped her finger together while looking at the person beside her, a man with slicked back black hair and a suit.

Max- the name given to him by the woman- would turn his head to focus on the man. The man nodded at the Nurse, telling her to leave with a whisper. The boy took a look back at the man, who just rose a brow.  
Max would pull the bed's sheet closer to his chest along with his legs, hiding his lower face with them. The man just sighed, shaking his head.  
"Hello Max. My name is Axel Charles. You can call me Axel. I'm with the Child Protective Services.. Unfortunately, we are unable to contact your parents at this time.. Do you know of anyone else we can reach out to at the moment?" He asked, looking genuinely concerned for the child.

 

Max breathed out, thinking for a moment. His memory was foggy. He couldn't remember. Only the fire. The crackles and pops rung in his ears once more, making his feel very uneasy. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He sighed, defeated, then just shook his head, "nope."  
Axel just blinked in response. He patted the boy's shoulder, giving a reassuring smile.   
"That's alright Buddy. I'll ask later. Why don't you relax in the meantime?" The man offered, grabbing a remote from the bedside table beside him and plopping it down in front of Max.

The boy give a shy smile and nodded back at the kind man, who stepped his way to the door of the room.  
"If you need anything- like to go the bathroom, there is a buzzer right next to you on the bedside table." He notified the boy before exiting the room. Max blinked, picking up the remote and examining it. He relaxed his legs, making them fall back onto the bed. He tapped the button that said, 'power'.

A blinding light illuminated the dim hospital room. Adjusting to the light, Max's pupils resized themselves. The channel that was shown seemed boring. He was about to change it before he noticed that there were things he had never saw before. Tall green things with brown middles.. The person narrating called them.. 'pine trees'. He gaped his mouth open in slight shock. Pine Trees! Those sounded interesting! A large smile was planted on his face as he watched the program. The narrator talked about trees and who lived in them. They talked about the Douglas Fir- their supposed state tree according to the man talking. 

At the end of the program, there was a bit of music playing as the man credited his sources. He thanked the people who helped created the show itself, making Max smile. But what really took the topping of the cake is how the wished the viewers well.  
"...Made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you." The man said while a 'Viewers like you' and 'Thank you' scrolled past the screen. Breathing out, Max put the remote back on the bedside table, not planning to change the channel anytime soon. Maybe the hospital wasn't too bad?


	10. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David vents to his red haired friend.

Yawning, David stepped into the building. It was loud.. and bright.. It also reeked of flowers and those shitty cough drops you get at the dollar store for 2 dollars. Shaking his head, his eyes trailed to the receptionist in the middle of the room behind the desk. She had blond hair and a baby blue blouse. Jolting back into reality, he felt someone take his hand and drag it towards said receptionist. Gwen..   
Giving an irritated grunt, he whipped his hand away from the woman and crossed his arms.  
Gwen just rose a brow at him before sighing. She placed her ID as well as David's on the counter where the woman checked them and tapped away at her keyboard. This sound made David's hairs rise. He should be singing songs around a bonfire- having fun with his campers and friends.. Not in a hospital! Grimacing, his eyes adverted to the colorful decals splashed on a sky blue wall of the hospital.

Those animal decals on the wall looked painfully happy.. As if they could be a doormat that people could step all over and manipulate; too optimistic for their own good. His eyebrows knitted together. Oh. He was just describing himself...How wonderful!.. His body relaxed as his eyes trailed around the hospital's waiting room/lobby thing. Nothing too exciting.. Just chairs, muted televisions and a corner for children to play in while they wait for appointments or something.   
The man flickered his gaze back to the receptionist, who was finishing up the passes. She looked up and smiled, handing the passes to David and Gwen respectfully.   
"Thank you! Have a nice day." She nodded, wishing the two well.

 

As they were walking down the hallway, Gwen would grip David's arm and whirl him around so that he was facing her. He make a squeak of slight fear, flinching away from her grip. He blinked, looking slightly nervous before calming down.  
"What?" He asked, his face returning to it's slightly irritated expression. Gwen just nonchalantly blinked at the man, sighing once more.   
"David. Hear me out, but what the fuck was that back there? Why are you acting like such an ass right now?" She whisper-yelled at the man who just flinched. There was disbelief shining in his eyes. He couldn't believe what he just heard..   
"W..E..Excuse me? Wh..Huh? Gwen, I almost killed 11 children last night and one is literally on his deathbed. Don't you think I have a basic right to be mad right now?" He narrowed his eyes at the woman, puttis his hands on his hips.

Gwen had sad eyes while she shook her head. She placed a hand on David's shoulder.  
"David- listen to me. It was an accident. It's not your fault. Nothing you did was your fault. You know that." She explained to the best of her ability, cracking a smile on her face. The red haired man would sigh, leaning up against the hallway wall as he hid part of his face in his turtleneck's collar. His eyes darted around the place as if he was thinking of a good way to counteract his friend's statement.  
"Gwen.. You don't understand. .. It's my fault- Max.. If only I could've kept him awake. He would've been okay.. Gwen! You don't understand at al-" He was cut off when a stream of tears pooled down his face. He stared at his friend, surprised. He couldn't see due to the tears blinding his vision. 

David would blink out the tears from his eyes after feeling a pair of arms wrap around him in a hug. He breathed out, looking down to see Gwen hugging him tightly. He hummed shakily, returning it.   
"Max will be alright. If he's strong enough to pull through his home life as a 10 year old child, he'll be strong enough to get out of that coma." The woman reassured softly, rubbing circles into David's back.  
The man just sighed, looking at what was visible of Gwen's face.

"H..How do you know? You didn't get a degree in the medical field last time I checked.." He murmured, giving a watery chuckle. There was silence after that.. "Right?.." He added, thinking on how impressed he'd be if Gwen was actually a certified medical professional. Gwen just grinned, shaking her head, 'no.'   
"Nope.. But as a woman who dual majored in psychology, I can safely say that you're just mourning.. We don't know if Max will survive.. Chances are low- yes.. But- and I know this sounds fucking stupid from me- you just got you look to the brighter side of things." She huffed, removing herself from the hug and nodding at her friend. David wiped his tears and sniffled, smiling.  
"Thanks Gwen. You're the best." David looked down, rubbing his arm. Part of his face was still hidden in his turtleneck sweater's collar. Gwen snorted in response, as if surprised and dissatisfied with the man's response.  
"Nah, David. You're the best. Now shut up and let's get going to the kids." She playfully bumped her friend's arm, dragging him down the hallway.   
  
  
The two would blink when they heard the noise of heels clanking down the tiled hallway. They looked behind themselves to see a woman- the receptionist- taking in large gulps of air; regaining her breath.   
"Mr. Greenwood..! It's Max. The boy you said you were counseling during your camp job before he was taken away by the ambulance- he's awake and alive!" She yelped, though not too loud to make the patients in their rooms surprised.   
David and Gwen looked at eachother with widened eyes. Their heads snapped back to the blond woman standing before them.  
"What..?!" They yelped in chorus.

 


	11. I Can't Recall..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets new people.. Or at least he thinks they're new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah shit.. the forest episode was fuckin depressin. sorry that this chapter is short.. it suh.. bit sad what happened in today's episode and i am going to take a break for a bit. hope you understand and all that.. ahhj  
> sorry if i mess up grammar and spelling wise. please see the reason stated above.  
> i'll be back on wednesday hopefully.

The television was illuminating the dim hospital room. Max was solely interested in the nature documentaries. He learned about so much stuff.. He wanted to go outside now! He wanted to go to the forest and see the birds.. Ooh! Maybe see the Douglas Fir that seems to be mentioned over 50 times within 5 minutes of each program, that too! He heard a knock on the door which made him turn his head to the side.  
"Uh.. What?" He called back weakly, unsure of how to respond to their request to enter.

A person came in, a blonde lady. She had a blue blouse and a tired expression. She took a glance upwards, giving a rather forced smile.   
"Hey dear.. Are you okay with visitors right now?" She asked with a soft tone straightening her poor posture and putt her hands behind herself. Max blinked, twisting his head to the side. Who would visit him..? Looking back at the woman he smiled.  
"Y.eh.." He managed to say, nodding. The woman looked rather confused on why the boy's speech was limited, but she didn't press further.  
She left the door and murmured something to someone in a hushed tone before stepping back into the room, though not in front of the door as if giving space for someone to enter.

Two people would step into the room, wide eyes and seemingly relieved. Max hummed, looking at the adults with a blank expression. One of the adults was a dude with a spiky hair doo-dad on his head. It seemed as if he was crying. The other one was a woman with cool hair. She seemed pretty chill. Not knowing what to say, he turned his attention back to the television and watched intently.  
The boy felt 2 pairs of arms wrap around him and hug him softly. Max winced in slight confusion as he heard quiet sobbing. This was kinda uncomfortable..? Who the heck were these people? Why did they care about him so much?  
"Wha..t you doing..?" He weakly murmured, pushing the people away to the best of his ability. "Wh..o are you p-eople?" He added, a stern look on his face. The two red headed people would look bewildered at Max's statement.

 

"M-Max! It's us! David and Gwen!.. Don't you r-remember?" The man stuttered, a sad and scared look in his eyes. The chill woman beside him patted his shoulder with that same expression. Max didn't know if he was making these guys sad.. or angry- or just scared? They seemed to know him.. But he didn't know them. What was going on?! Were these guys his stalkers?  
He bit his lip, shaking his head.  
"N..o. I don't re-..recall knowing you.." He stuttered over his words, fiddling with his fingers nervously. He expected people to start talking down to him and yell at him for not remembering, but they just... Cried..? The red haired man was sobbing into his friend's shoulder as she rubbed his back.

The woman- who Max was guessing was Gwen, just sighed.  
"God kid.. That fire really took somethin outta you, huh?" She murmured, shaking her head. Max's eyes widened in shock.. F-Fire?..   
There was rapid beeping following. The boy shot his attention back at his heart monitor. It was spiky.. Going..Up..and down.. Up and down. He didn't know why but he was scared of fires--he hated them. He just wanted this to stop!  
He started crying as the heart monitor soared. It was hard to breath- what was going on? The tears blurred his vision. He heard people entering the room as someone was calling his name.   
hands covered his body like the first time he woke up.   
_'Fire. I hate it. It can just go die in a.. wait- shit...'_ The boy just shuttered, shaking his head.


End file.
